The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a cautionary notice to all principals and school heads affiliated with the Board, alerting them to the growing circulation of counterfeit NCERT textbooks being sold by unauthorised sellers at attractive discounts.
In its advisory, CBSE noted that these fake books are often of poor print quality and may contain multiple errors—both factual and typographical—which can mislead students and disrupt the learning process. The Board has urged schools to take immediate steps to prevent the use of such substandard material.
Schools have been asked to sensitise parents and students about the presence of counterfeit books in the market and to ensure that only genuine NCERT textbooks are purchased. CBSE has stressed that authentic books must be sourced exclusively through authorised channels approved by NCERT.
For institutions that procure textbooks directly, the Board has reiterated that purchases should be made only from officially designated sources. Schools can obtain genuine NCERT publications through:
- NCERT Regional Production and Distribution Centres (RPDCs)
- Authorised vendors listed on the official NCERT website
- NCERT’s Postal Supply Service available via the NCERT portal
- The official NCERT store on Amazon
To support schools in the procurement process, CBSE has also provided contact details of RPDCs located in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi. These centres can assist institutions in verifying and obtaining legitimate NCERT textbooks.
With this advisory, CBSE aims to safeguard academic integrity and ensure that students receive accurate, high-quality learning material during the upcoming academic session.